Techniques for bringing more power to your colors?

**jessejesse** · November 25th, 2011, 08:06 PM

I tend to be too careful when it comes to making colors pop... fundamentally it's a fear issue. It's something I really need to be conscious of and have to force myself to push my boundaries.

But I'm wondering what practical techniques others use to help themselves push the saturation, brightness and general risk taking when it comes to color.

Cheers.

**JeffX99** · November 25th, 2011, 08:29 PM

How to answer? Be bolder? Take chances? Push it and see how it works for you?

Here ya go...

**jessejesse** · November 26th, 2011, 12:23 AM

Yea, I guess i was more referring to practical tools and methods. As an example, recently I have started just laying in a spot of really intense color... maybe it is too much, but then I bring other areas in the painting up to that level, to create a connection. Then maybe I take the original spot back down a bit. Just to get everything a bit fresh.

Just curious if others have other ideas or insight.

**JeffX99** · November 26th, 2011, 12:28 AM

I don't really think there are practical tools or methods for this kind of thing...none I'm aware of anyway, besides doing exactly what you're doing. Only thing useful I would recommend is trying to view a bunch of work in person...Sargent in particular. He often used extremely saturated notes and passages but of course kept the whole thing working together.

**jessejesse** · November 26th, 2011, 12:32 AM

Yea, I just saw an exhibition a couple months ago with a number of paintings from Matisse. It's what really pushed me to start thinking more about the topic.

**JeffX99** · November 26th, 2011, 01:16 AM

Right on...I don't know what part of Ca you're in? Might see what local museums have in their permanent collections as well. I drove 8 hours to see the Sargent landscape show 7-8 years ago in LA. Well worth the trip.

**jetpack42** · November 26th, 2011, 02:46 AM

I've been saying in my workshops that there is two ways to get better at art. You can improve your technical abilities with the craft, or you can improve your life. If you want less fear in your work, you've got to start living with less fear. When you start overcoming fear in your life, a few bits of paint on a canvas are no big deal...

**dpaint** · November 26th, 2011, 09:05 PM

Paint with a limtid palette of red yellow blue and white, thats what I do. By only using primaries it forces you to mix and make color decisions and your color will have more unity. Taking blacks, browns and grays from your palette will teach you to mix them and see them as part of a larger color family.

**jessejesse** · November 27th, 2011, 12:13 AM

@Jetpack42 I couldn't agree more.

**merl1n** · November 28th, 2011, 10:04 AM

And I couldn't agree more with dpaint. Best thing you can do is to think simple and this limitation makes you do it. Plus you will discover that it's not a limitation at all.